Hurt
by DeanCasLover22
Summary: While out on the highway in search of a new home for Vega's citizens, Alex and Michael are attacked by a band of 8 balls with wings and Alex is injured. Takes place months after the Season 2 finale. Part 3 of 3 posted.
1. Daylight

**x**

 **Part 1: Daylight**

* * *

Sometime in the not too distant future…

* * *

Alex Lannon stared at the highway stretched out before him and sighed as he tapped the steering wheel of the Jeep he was driving with his index finger a few times.

He'd been driving for days. Through desert, mountains, valleys, forest, and now desert again. And all this time spent traveling on the endless, empty highways were getting to him.

But every time turning back even crossed his weary mind, Alex remembered his promise to a dying man and to his home city, Vega. He would find it. He would find a new place for Vega's citizens to live before the nuclear power plant failed.

That promise had been made many months ago, and so much had happened since then, but the importance of it held. And now that Alex finally had a chance to explore the North American countryside, to search for a new home, he knew he couldn't give up. Vega's end was near, and he was the person the citizens were looking at to brave the world beyond the walls to find a new place to settle.

Besides, a certain someone - whose wings Alex could hear through the Jeep's open windows as he approached – wouldn't let him turn back even if he had wanted to.

The passenger door opened and the Archangel Michael, Alex's mentor and friend, slid onto the seat, dark hair ruffled from the wind.

"Anything?" Alex asked him.

Michael shook his head. "It's clear. Not a soul in sight, neither human nor angel."

"How far away are we from the nearest city?" Alex inquired.

"Still at least a day," Michael replied.

Alex nodded.

"There is no guarantee the abandoned city will be able to be secured," Michael told him. "Or that it won't have been utterly destroyed between the war's bombings and whatever events have occurred there since."

"But it's worth a shot," Alex said.

"Yes, it's worth visiting," Michael agreed. "That is why we are out here, after all."

 _Instead of back in Vega, protecting the citizens_ , thought Alex. _Because that would only be delaying the inevitable._

Alex rubbed his eyes in attempt to be rid of the slight burning in them.

"We should stop," Michael said.

Alex knew he'd noticed him rubbing his eyes. Michael rarely missed anything. "No, I'm good."

"You won't be 'good' if you crash this vehicle," Michael told him. "Take a break. You've been driving most of the afternoon."

"Here?" Alex glanced around at the red rock and desert brush surrounding the highway they were traveling.

"While it is clear," Michael confirmed.

Alex sighed and pulled the Jeep over onto the shoulder of the road out of habit. After all, it was highly unlikely anyone would drive by.

He opened his door almost at the same time as Michael did, and they both stepped out of the vehicle.

"Stay close," Michael ordered. "And don't be long."

Alex nodded and wondered a ways off, kicking the rocks in his path as he went, but stayed within earshot of the angel, who barely strayed from the Jeep as his eyes scanned the horizon.

A few minutes into his break, Alex climbed a nearby cliff, carefully choosing his path since it was steep. When he reached the top he glanced around.

Wherever they were, the red rock surrounded them. And instead of taking in the stunning view for what it was, all he could think was that there were a lot of hiding places here.

Alex shook his head _. It's clear_ , he reminded himself.

But he couldn't shake off the feeling of danger, and the markings twitched. Alex decided to take it as a warning.

After only a few more seconds Alex climbed down the cliff and walked back to the Jeep. As usual, it didn't seem like Michael had moved much. He stood where Alex had left him, with his hands behind his back.

"Let's go," Alex called out to him.

Michael glanced up. "Is something wrong?"

Alex shrugged. "Something's telling me there might be."

Just as Alex finished speaking Michael became tense and he turned his head to look behind them.

"Did you hear something?" Alex asked as he pulled his gun out of its holster.

"Get in the vehicle."

Alex did not question why. He jumped into the Jeep and Michael joined him just as he pulled the gear into drive.

Just as the Jeep hit forty miles per hour a body with raven wings appeared in the side mirror. As it hit fifty miles per hour, another appeared. Then another. Soon there was a half dozen of them.

"Are they higher angels?" Alex inquired.

Michael shook his head before glancing over his shoulder. "Evolved 8 balls."

 _Haven't run into those for a while_ , Alex mused as he pressed further down on the gas pedal.

He knew the flying 8 balls were nearly as fast as higher angels, so Alex turned off the main road, risking the bumpy terrain to try to find cover, an attempt to prevent the 8 balls from being able to attack and to try to lose them.

However, the red rocks were not close enough together to keep the 8 balls from flying between them and two caught up to the Jeep, landing on top of the roof.

Before Alex, and even Michael could react, one of them grabbed Alex's arm and yanked him out of the vehicle. The Jeep crashed into a nearby rock, and the 8 ball threw Alex down on the ground.

Alex groaned as he landed flat on his back.

The 8 ball snarled as it landed and retracted its wings. Just as it reached out towards Alex and he was pulling out his gun, a sword pierced through the angel's abdomen. It was quickly pulled back out and the 8 ball collapsed, dying.

Alex looked up to see Michael standing before him with the sun behind him, a sword in one hand and his other outstretched. Alex took it and Michael helped him to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Michael asked.

"I'll survive," Alex told him, wincing.

He noticed Michael was bleeding from his forehead. "You?"

"It's already healed," Michael assured him.

Alex could hear wings flapping, getting closer.

"We need to move," Michael said.

They ran for the Jeep, Alex jumping over the body of the second 8 ball. But while the damage to the Jeep didn't look severe, thanks to the bumper mounted bar, it refused to start when Alex hopped inside and turned the key.

He had no time to attempt to fix the Jeep. The other four 8 balls they'd seen earlier, along with four new ones, were already on the ground, yards away, by the time Alex and Michael were out of the vehicle again.

Michael pulled out his second sword and Alex raised his gun.

Two of the 8 balls wasted no time to attack, one male heading straight for Michael, another female, for Alex, as the rest climbed the rocky walls surrounding them.

Michael easily slayed the one coming at him, and Alex hit the one after him right between the eyes with the first bullet he fired.

The rest played harder to get. They walked like spiders over the rock walls so fast that they were almost a blur to Alex. And then, as if on cue, they all jumped at once, two towards Alex, and four towards Michael.

One of the two after Alex landed on top of him and he fell to the ground. He pushed the snarling creature off of him and kicked out at the second 8 ball, hitting it in the legs and tripping it.

Alex got to his feet and briefly glimpsed Michael kicking one 8 ball in the stomach as two others circled him, just beyond his sword reach. The fourth already lay dead on the ground, and the one Michael had kicked back soon joined it.

Alex elbowed the 8 ball that he'd thrown off him and kicked at the second again before shooting at it. The 8 ball fell with a bullet to the temple. The first 8 ball was on him again before he could turn back though, and it managed to rip the gun out of his hand.

Alex quickly reached for his sword and turned to face the veiny monster. In one quick motion he stabbed it in the chest.

Free of attackers, Alex glanced over to Michael and found that he was standing with all of his attackers by his feet as well.

Both took in heavy breaths, though Alex's were much more pronounced.

It was over. Or so they briefly thought.

Before either one could speak, an 8 ball crawled out of a large crevice and bolted towards Alex.

He had no time to react. He'd barely even glimpsed the creature before he felt himself being thrown through the air and his head hit something really hard.

The last thing he heard, before everything went black, was Michael shouting his name.

* * *

 **A/N: And...cliffhanger. Sorry, it made for the perfect end to Part 1. Part 2 should be up soon.**


	2. Nightfall

x

 **Part 2: Nightfall**

* * *

As Alex collapsed onto the ground inches away from the rock he'd been flung into, Michael took action.

He swiftly approached Alex's attacker and swung the sword in his right hand, beheading the lower angel before it even realized he was near enough to do so.

After its body fell, Michael briefly glanced around, looking for more 8 balls, but there were none in sight. He sheathed his swords and kneeled beside Alex.

"Alex," he said. "Alex, wake up!"

His voice was commanding, but also held concern.

His eyes scanned Alex. Besides a few cuts on his face, the young man wasn't outwardly wounded, but Michael knew his internal injuries could be much worst. And they were days away from any working hospital.

Not for the first time, Michael wished his feathers could heal humans as it did angels.

After a few moments of no reaction to his voice, Michael shook Alex's left shoulder, careful not to shake too hard and move his head, and called out his name again.

Luckily, this time Alex stirred. He opened his eyes slowly and groaned. Michael slightly relaxed with relief.

"How badly are you hurt?"

Alex raised his hands to his face and covered it. "My head is pounding…"

"Can you stand?" Michael inquired.

Alex turned over onto his side, collected his weapons, and attempted to get to his feet, but halfway up his eyes became unfocused and he fell back to the ground.

Michael grabbed Alex's left arm to prevent him from falling all the way and wrapped it around his shoulders before standing with him, supporting his weight.

"We have to find shelter," Michael told Alex.

The human nodded slightly and managed to move his legs as Michael walked with him out into the open.

Michael scanned the surrounding area. There weren't many options. There was nothing around for miles except cliffs, and Alex was in no shape to be moved far. While not the most ideal spot, Michael settled on taking Alex to a rock formation consisting of a cliff and two large boulders that acted as walls. Only one side was exposed, the one with the view of the highway.

Michael helped Alex lie back against one of the boulders and released his wings. "I will be right back."

He turned and flew to the Jeep to collect the first aid kit and food and water supplies.

When he returned to Alex's side the young man was sleeping, body curled up on the ground, with his left arm under his head.

Michael decided to let him rest, sitting a foot away from his head, back against the cliff.

He stayed there, mostly still, as the sun set beyond the horizon.

* * *

After night had fallen, and the stars shown clearly in the sky above, Michael leaned towards Alex and shook him awake.

The young man moaned.

"Alex, you need to wake up," Michael said. "I am fairly certain you have a concussion, and if so, you need to wake regularly."

Alex blinked. "I definitely have one."

"What do you remember?" Michael asked.

Alex sighed. "We got attacked by over a dozen 8 balls. And one threw me into a rock. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"After you drink," Michael said, passing him a canteen of water.

Alex did as told and closed his eyes. As he fell back asleep Michael stood and leaned against the boulder opposite to the one Alex was sleeping near and studied the landscape before him, on guard in case any 8 balls were still around and chose to attack in the dark.

It reminded him of the nights he'd spent on guard during the Extermination War while the human soldiers slept. And that memory, in turn, gave him an uneasy feeling, even though it was unlikely another attack would happen again so soon. Not when the 8 balls were acting on their own.

Throughout the next two hours Michael occasionally glanced down at Alex and he assured himself that he would be fine. Alex had been through much worst than a concussion since he'd assumed his role as The Chosen One.

Michael's mind wondered back at that thought. Back to the days he'd trained Alex in Vega, back to Lyrae, the Darkness, and Lucifer. The trust issues, the mistakes, the betrayals, the near death experiences, and mused over how, after all that, here they were, working together. They always ended up back on the same path, even when they sometimes greatly strayed from it.

He'd always been convinced they were fated to do so, but it was for certain now.

Michael withdrew from his thoughts as the two-hour wait ended, and woke Alex again, who repeated once more what had happened to him and then returned to his slumber.

Michael returned to standing guard.

It was just after midnight when he noticed Alex was shaking slightly in his sleep. The chill of the desert's early winter night was at its peak, and the young man's leather jacket had become insufficient at keeping him warm. He was shivering.

With no hesitance, Michael shrugged off his coat and threw it over Alex. He didn't really need it, after all. Angels tolerated the cold a lot better than humans could. Even if he couldn't, Michael knew he would have done it anyway.

No matter how old the boy he considered like a son became, he'd always do whatever he could for him. Nothing had changed that, nor ever would.


	3. Sunrise

x

 **Part 3: Sunrise**

* * *

When Alex woke up, for the first time on his own since the attack, it was daybreak.

He cautiously sat up and sighed in relief. His head was feeling much better. The pain he felt was down from a throbbing sensation to an ache.

Alex noticed that Michael's heavy coat was on him and glanced around for his mentor. He was standing in the same spot he'd stood most of the night.

Alex folded Michael's coat over the crook of his arm, slowly got to his feet, and approached him.

Michael heard him coming and turned around just in time to take his coat off Alex's arm as he offered it back to him.

"You appear to be much better," Michael observed, donning his coat once more.

Alex nodded. "I feel much better. Sleep really does wonders."

"Do you think you will be able to drive?" Michael inquired.

"First I have to see if I can even fix the Jeep," Alex answered.

His stomach growled. "And before that, I need to eat something."

"Your energy bars are in the bag next to the medical kit," Michael told him.

Alex's eyes found it almost immediately, and he pulled two energy bars out of the bag, offering one to Michael, who briefly smiled and silently accepted it.

Alex walked over to the Jeep with their supplies and Michael followed distantly.

As soon as he was done eating, Alex examined the parts of the Jeep under the hood.

They'd lucked out. The parts destroyed by the Jeep's impact with the desert rock were parts he'd brought spares for, and the other parts that were damaged could be temporarily fixed with duct tape and the like.

It took a few hours to fix everything wrong with the Jeep, but when Alex was finished it started on his first try turning the key. "Yes!"

Michael approached the Jeep. "Will it last until we get to the city?"

"It should," Alex replied. "It has to. We can't exactly turn back. We're too far from Vega now."

Michael nodded and climbed into the Jeep via its mangled passenger side door.

"Let's move."

Alex backed the Jeep into a spot wide enough to turn the vehicle to the right, and then drove back onto the highway.

"Thanks," Alex said, glancing in Michael's direction briefly.

Michael looked slightly confused. "For what?"

"For watching out for me last night," Alex explained.

Michael smiled in the way he always did the rare moments he showed such emotion. "No need to thank me."

"After everything that has happened, there is," Alex told him.

"The past is the past," Michael said, reminding him of when they'd promised to move forward and no longer linger on their mistakes.

To forgive each other and themselves because neither could fix what was done.

"I still wanna to thank you," Alex said.

Michael nodded. "I'll always help you when you truly need it, Alex."

"I know."

After a few moments, Michael opened the Jeep door and stepped out onto the Jeep's sidestep. He released his wings and jumped off.

Alex reached over to shut the door as best as he could, and watched the archangel fly ahead, checking once again for any upcoming danger.

The city neared. Hope neared. And in that moment, for the first time in a long time, Alex felt sure Vega would survive.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows everyone. Hope you all enjoyed this last part. :)**


End file.
